Inaugural cruise to benefit the Poverello Center

By BOB KECSKEMETY

Cruise for a Cause sets sail on its inaugural cruise on New Year’s weekend as a benefit for the Poverello Center. Cruise for a Cause is part of Under the Rainbow Umbrella, a new organization designed to help other non-profit organizations raise much-needed funds.

Sailing on the Norwegian Cruise Lines’s Norwegian Sky, the ship sets sail from the Port of Miami for the Bahamas at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31, spends Saturday in Nassau, Sunday in Great Stirrup Cay and returns to Miami at 7 a.m. on Monday morning.

The price for the cruise starts at $475 per person (double occupancy) and includes: cabin; special parties and entertainment; private, open bar happy hours; New Year’s Eve gala party; all meals; pre-cruise welcome party at Aragon Guest House in Wilton Manors and more. Port taxes of $80.49 per person are not included.

Cruise for a Cause is being organized by Steve Champion, owner of Travel Pride. For the last seven years, Travel Pride has been organizing high-end, all-gay cruises on luxury ships. It comes at a time when non-profits, like Poverello, are searching for fundraisers to help make it during a down economy.

“This will be a fun weekend at a fairly reasonable price that includes almost everything, and part of the proceeds will go to Poverello which, with all of the funding and grants that have been cut, could really use the money. That’s why we call it ‘Cruise for a Cause,’” said Champion.

The goal of the cruise is to book 60 to 100 people which would encompass approximately 10 percent of the Norwegian Sky. Half of that goal has already been reached. Reservations will be accepted up to 48 hours prior to sailing.

“We are very happy to have been chosen to be the beneficiary of this first cruise, especially this time of year when people are so needy and money is so tight,” said Terry Sommerville, manager of the Poverello Food Bank. “I think having regular cruises to benefit non-profit organizations is a great idea and I wish them a lot of luck.”

Originally, Cruise for a Cause was to be a short, local event where interested people would take a short drive to the Port of Miami and sail, as opposed to the more expensive and elaborate Atlantis Cruises where a person would have to fly to another destination to catch the ship for a sevenday cruise.

Champion believes the Cruise for a Cause trip will target a niche of people who, while want to go on a gay cruise, don’t want to spend time on a cruise ship with thousands of other gays like the larger gay cruises offer. Instead, travelers can get a more intimate feel on this cruise, while at the same time contributing toward a good cause. There has already been interest in the cruise from people who live outside the state of Florida.

“There are over 3,000 non-profit organizations out there just in Broward County,” said Champion. “The need is so great out there, especially during this period of hard economic times. A lot of non-profits don’t have grant writers and don’t have even the depth or experience to find out where to find money.” Champion does not plan to limit his cruises to gay organizations only.

There will be four Cruise for a Cause events each year. After this inaugural cruise, the next cruise planned will be a benefit for the Pet Project.

For more information or to book the cruise, call (954) 865-4042 or visit www.undertherainbowumbrella.org.